


Long live the reckless and the brave

by deadlynightshade



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-08 05:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8831920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadlynightshade/pseuds/deadlynightshade
Summary: After Beast Boy comes back from his six-month-long mission with the Doom Patrol things between him and Raven definitely change — perhaps for the better.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> To be completely honest, this one-shot and the one I published before are just a result of my desperate procastination.  
> I truly have no inspiration for my chaptered stories, and I don't want to write them badly just to upload quickly. I'm sorry about that.  
> In the meantime, have this cute little story about my two babies realizing stuff and being grow-ups!  
> Title is taken from the All Time Low song with the same name.  
> Hope you enjoy it!

It had come as a big surprise to everyone in the Titans Tower. It wasn’t just the fact that Beast Boy had been called by Doom Patrol to help them defeat the Brotherhood of Evil, which had somehow escaped for the umpteenth time… It was more the fact that Robin agreed to let him go away for six long months.  
“Six months?!” had exclaimed an astonished Beast Boy, echoed by Cyborg and Starfire, and the latter had immediately started to let the tears wet her face. “That’s a long time!”  
“I know, Beast Boy, but they need your help for a very important undercover mission; they refused my offer to let the whole team help them. You’re leaving tomorrow” was the nonsense explanation he got from Robin.  
Cyborg furrowed his right brow and murmured “this kinda stinks” which only Beast Boy heard, thanks to his animal hearing, and obviously, Raven.  
“Can we just stop being so over-dramatic? Six months isn’t a very long time. He’ll be back before we even notice he’s gone” had commented the sorceress from a corner of the room.  
As Beast Boy’s face fell, she knew those words had hurt him. Her empathic powers hadn’t been helpful with the guilt she was feeling, so she had decided to just go back to her room and meditate.  
Robin had come to talk with her about that “mean, unnecessary comment” and ordered to “apologize to Beast Boy as soon as possible” or he would punish her severely. She hadn’t dared to object; he was the leader, after all.

 

That is why she had found herself knocking on the changeling’s door. At 3AM.  
“What- Raven?” had murmured the boy, opening the door. He was wearing a pair of dark blue boxers and nothing else. His hair was messy, voice rough from sleep.  
It took everything inside of her not to blush, or worse, smile. “I have come to apologize for-”  
“What- Raven- Do you even know what time is it? Couldn’t you wait until tomorrow? And since when do you feel the need to-“  
“What happened today was-“  
“But-“  
“Interrupt me again and it will be the last thing you do” she had threatened, pulling the hood of her cloak down to let him see her furious eyes. He immediately shut his mouth, his eyes wide. “Listen, Beast Boy, I wanted to apologize for what I said today.”  
The changeling had raised an eyebrow, feeling more and more confused each minute passing. “That’s it?”  
“I’m sorry” she had quickly added, although it had sounded more like a question than an apology.  
“Raven, I know Robin told you to do this, but you don’t have to. I’m used to your sarcastic comments, so it’s alright.”  
The girl had sighed in relief, but decided to insist anyway. “I’m an empath, BB, I can feel that I really hurt you this time. I didn’t want to, I’m sorry” she had finally admitted, and the sincerity behind her words made his head spin.  
“Apology accepted, Rae!” had exclaimed a smiling Beast Boy. “I know you’re going to miss me” he had added, poking her side with his elbow.  
“Don’t push it.”  
And that had been it.

 

The following morning the Titans had all reunited on the roof to say goodbye to their friend. Starfire and Cyborg had been crying the whole time; Robin had looked a bit distressed but as serious as ever; and Raven had not spoken a word or showed any kind of emotion.  
She had felt vaguely proud of her control in that situation. It had taken the rest of the night to meditate enough to be ready for that moment. She didn’t want to give away the fact that she knew it was her who was going to miss Beast Boy the most, not the two crying Titans.  
It had been a strange realization, to be completely honest. She totally hadn’t expected it, so maybe that had been the biggest surprise. Especially since they had just begun being friends.  
Beast Boy had hugged everyone – including a reluctant and totally blushing Raven and an embarrassed Robin – before morphing into and eagle and flying away. Covering her blush with the hood, she had quickly wondered how’d it all happened.

 

It had all started some weeks before. There had been a violent storm in Jump City and two people in the Titans Tower had found themselves unable to sleep.  
When Raven had walked into the living room with the intention of making some tea, Beast Boy had already been there, watching tv and eating popcorn for who knows how long.  
“Can’t sleep?” she had asked, going to the kitchen.  
“I never sleep during storms” he had responded, not even turning to look at her from the couch. “The animals inside of me are restless.”  
After her tea had been ready and after noticing the documentary about sharks that Beast Boy had been watching, Raven had decided to sit next to him. She couldn’t sleep anyway.  
“Didn’t think you’d know such a word.”  
“C’mon Raven, I’m watching a documentary! I can be smart, give me some credit!” he had said, half joking but definitely half serious.  
Raven had noticed his slightly gloomy tone and decided to sincerely talk about it. “Why do you act so immature all the time, then?”  
The boy had looked at her with wide eyes, like he couldn’t believe what was happening. “Woah, Raven, way to be too serious” he had muttered, a blush covering his cheeks and a hand ruffling his hair. “I’m 17, how am I supposed to act?”  
The sorceress had given him a look that said “are you kidding me”, which he had considered kind of funny, to be honest, but the serious atmosphere had prevented him from laughing.  
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’m talking to Raven, who has been an adult before even knowing what childhood was” he had quickly retorted, his words somehow full of something that had let the girl know it wasn’t meant to be a hurtful comment. Was it sadness, that she had seen in his eyes? Was it awe?  
“This isn’t about me, Garfield.”  
“Yeah- Raven! I thought I told you guys to stop making fun of my name!”  
“I’m not teasing you, I’m just calling you by your real name. Beast Boy has gotten kind of repetitive” she had explained while taking a sip of her tea.  
He had quickly turned his head to try and hide his smile, faking interest in the sharks on tv.  
“Since you are apparently not able to take the initiative, I’m going to be brutally honest with you, Garfield-“  
“Gar.”  
“What?”  
“If you’re going to use my first name, then call me Gar. Garfield sounds too serious and funny at the same time.”  
“Alright then, Gar. I know everything about your self-esteem issues and your depression. You think no one’s noticed it, but I guess you keep forgetting the fact that I’m an empath” had said Raven, while Beast Boy only watched her with wide, shocked eyes. “Now, I know you have lived what one would consider a miserable life, full of disappointment and heartbreak, and it’s clear to me that you put on this happy, careless, funny façade to trick everyone around you that you have no problems, that everything is fine.”  
“Raven, you don’t-“  
“I’m sorry, Gar, but I’m done watching you live like this. You’re my friend, and I care about your wellbeing. I know this must be hard for you, since it’s completely unexpected-“  
“Oh, you think?”  
“But I want you to listen carefully to what I’m going to say. No one actually thinks you’re stupid, on the contrary, everyone knows you’re a very clever, cunning man, but you’re always the first to put yourself down, thinking that you’re not smart enough for anything. You’re so, so wrong.”  
“Raven, I don’t need your pity-“  
“Right, I was going to get to that in a second. I know you have trouble trusting people and opening up to them, because you’re used to everyone leaving. I want you to understand that we are a team, and that we all care about each other, and that if you ever need anything, you are free to ask. And yes, I’m actually talking about myself, now.”  
“Raven, I-“ he had started to say, only to be left without words. He had given her a happy, adoring look before reaching out and hugging her. “Thank you.”  
Raven had been speechless, too. It had been a very deep, intimate moment between them, which reminded her of the time she had hugged him after his nice words.  
Neither of them had said anything about the unusual length of that hug, and they had separated silently to go back to their rooms. The day after that, at lunch, none of them had said anything about the events that occurred the night before, so they had both decided to ignore it.

 

That is why, now, after six months, Raven finds herself in deep, deep trouble. Beast Boy is back and at first, everything is the same. Except when it suddenly isn’t.  
She soon notices that in the relatively short time that they haven’t seen each other, he has certainly grown. He is taller than her, now being the second tallest member of the Titans (after Cyborg, obviously), and much more muscular. He’s always been a slim guy, but right now his body has become more strong and defined. His jaw-line is prominent now, and is that stubble that Raven sees on his face? His hair is longer; he must have let it grow while away. She thinks that it makes him look older than he is. He also has a slightly deeper voice, which is weird. She finds him undeniably more attractive now than before; she prefers the more mature look to the childish one he seemed so proud of. But why does she care so much?  
Too afraid to let her newfound feelings show, she decides to ignore the poor guy. Whenever he tries to talk to her for more than a minute and about things that are not related to their work, she practically flees.  
Being completely honest to herself, Raven has totally missed him. She always tried not to think about it, in fear of revealing her deepest emotions to herself, but deep inside, she knew. Beast Boy is a fundamental part of the Teen Titans, and although she lives by the motto “people come, people go”, she is aware that there are some people she just can’t let herself live without.  
Beast Boy, unfortunately, is one of them, and he’s definitely changed.

 

Raven never thought she would ever say this, but oh boy, what she would give to have stupid, annoying, clueless fifteen-year-old Beast Boy back.  
Starfire and Cyborg decided to throw a party to celebrate their teammate’s return, and they obviously had to invite every single Honorary Titan they could reach.  
That is why, in this very moment, Raven is sitting on the couch among many, many people, and with a cocktail in her hand – which is not hers. She’s drinking it anyway, because honestly, everyone is already drunk and she has too many thoughts through her head to be the only one sober.  
Suddenly, Beast Boy sits next to her – or better, he falls half on the couch and half on Raven’s lap. Images of his flirty smile come back to her: he spent the first two hours of the evening talking and smiling to every single female in the Tower, except for her. She knows that she shouldn’t be jealous, it’s Beast Boy, after all: he’s infamous for his not-so-similar Casanova behaviour. And she’s the one who’s ignoring him.  
“Woah, Raven, are you really drinking or am I seeing things?” he slurs, and yeah, he’s clearly too drunk and too close, so she shoves him away. “Raven, Rae- why are you ignoring me?”  
“I’m not ignoring you, Beast Boy.”  
“What do you think of the name Changeling? I was just discussing it with Cy- wait! Don’t try and change the subject, dude!”  
“I’m not a dude and I haven’t said a word.”  
Beast Boy breaks in uncontrollable laughter, muttering something along the lines of “you’re so funny, Raven!”.  
“Have you got make-up on your face?” he asks, after looking at her intensely.  
“Have you ever seen me wearing it?”  
“No, but you look prettier than usual. Or maybe that’s because we haven’t seen each other in so long, and I have missed you so much.”  
“Wait- What- You missed me?”  
“Yes, Raven, I thought it was obvious, you know… Haven’t you?”  
“Haven’t I what?”  
“Missed me. Did you, Rae? Did you miss me?”  
One of the lights explode before Raven can say a word. Everybody starts screaming, thinking that there is some enemy in the T-Tower that they must defeat. Hotspot provides them the light they need, while Robin and Cyborg assure people that there is no problem.  
Raven feels somehow drunker than before and starts laughing, because she knows that she is behind the accident: she is so drunk that she can’t control her powers anymore.  
Beast Boy is the only one who notices, as his smirk suggests. He takes her hand and drags her out of the living room, silently thanking the lack of lights and the panic it caused.  
They stumble through the corridors, until they reach their destination: Beast Boy’s room. The door opens and the boy takes a few steps inside, turning to invite his teammate. She practically falls in his room, giggling and blushing like never before.  
“What are we doing, BB?” she slurs, while sitting on his bed. She lays down for a minute, her head exploding from the great amount of alcohol in her body.  
“Talking” he quickly replies, watching her as she sits back again. “In private” he then adds, as a second thought. “So, you missed me, huh?” he asks, his eyebrows going up and down.  
“I never said that.”  
“Your emotions made it pretty clear.”  
Raven looks down, feeling embarrassed. “You can’t prove it.”  
“The light that you exploded are a valid enough proof. You’re closing up again, Rae, please don’t” he says, letting himself fall on the bed and putting a hand on her thigh to avoid crushing her.  
“Beas- Gar, what are we doing?” she asks, her hand already unconsciously reaching for his cheek.  
“Like I said, talking. We are drunk, but we are just talking” he whispers, gradually diminishing the distance between them. Raven simply closes her eyes and smiles.  
Their kiss is slow and lazy; after all, it’s just a kiss shared by drunk people, but it doesn’t feel any less real nonetheless.  
“So, you missed me” murmurs the boy after breaking the kiss. He lays on the bed, his gaze directed at the ceiling. Raven watches him and decides to do the same; their bodies touching in different places, their hands brushing against each other.  
“Yeah, well, maybe.”  
“Is that the reason you’ve been ignoring me?”  
“I’m not- “  
“For once, let’s be completely honest with each other” he says, turning his head to give her a sincere smile. “Since you’re emotionally inept, I’m going first: I’ve liked you since forever, Raven. I’ve missed you like crazy while away, and when I got back, it broke my heart to see you ignoring me after… that night” he admits, never leaving her eyes.  
She sighs, blinks a few times, and looks at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, Gar, I was afraid. You’ve seen what feelings do to me. They make me lose control, and I can become quite dangerous. I- “  
“Do you like me, Rae?” he interrupts her, putting his hand on her cheek to force her to look at him.  
“I… You have to understand, I can’t” she mutters, shaking her head and closing her eyes for the intensity of her feelings.  
“Answer my question, Raven. Do you like me?”  
A pile of clothes next to the door explodes and Beast Boy’s dirty clothes fly everywhere. “Gar, I- “  
“God, I love it when you call me like that” he practically whispers, launching himself onto her lips with a smile to kiss her.

 

She avoids him for a week after that night.  
It’s a tense week; the memory of waking up the following morning curled up against his warm body haunts her every time her attention slips, which is incredibly often. It takes every little bit of willpower she has not to cause an explosion every time she recalls his expression: tranquil, pure, content. His green skin highlighted by the sun filtering through the window, his mouth slightly open with a little bit of drool on his pillow. She forces herself to think about the mess she’s made in the common room and in his one; it’s a reminder of the danger that emotions represent.  
She hasn’t been able to meditate as much as her mind constantly requires and it’s making her visibly unstable. Her powers become each day more difficult and more difficult to manage, which means that Cyborg is slowly going crazy from all the things he has to repair.  
Beast Boy’s constant attempts to talk to her about the strange situation surely don’t help, causing her to be nervous and jumpy and consequently dangerous. Raven doesn’t understand what he’s doing to her, but she realizes that avoiding him isn’t the solution to the problem. Especially not since the other have been watching them and asking awkward questions.  
She knows she has to do something about it, so she decides to let Garfield in the next time he comes knocking at her door. Except, next time never comes.  
She’s a bit disappointed, to be honest. He’s always been overly annoying, always pushing the limits of her patience; why stop now?  
Another three days go by, and Raven can’t seem to find the courage to simply go to him and talk, until it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and she finds herself constantly turning in her bed, unable to sleep.  
She slowly and quietly gets up and exits her room, walking in the shapeshifter’s room direction. As she lifts her hand to knock on the door, it opens, revealing a naked Beast Boy.  
“I thought you’d never come” he whispers, looking at her with tired eyes.  
“You do realize you’re naked, right?” she asks with her usual monotone voice, trying her best not to lose control over her powers.  
He looks down and shrugs, a tiny smile gracing his lips. “I sleep in the nude” he says, turning around and picking up a pair of boxers – and totally flashing her with his perfect backside – before putting them on. “Better?”  
“Thank you” she whispers while finally entering his room and going to sit on the bed. Memories of the night of the party flash before her eyes, making her shake her head slightly. “We need to talk, Beast Boy.”  
“Oh, so now I’m Beast Boy?”  
“Beast- Garfield” she stutters, her voice strangely full of anger and frustration. She sighs, trying to maintain control. “Why are you still awake at 3AM?”  
“I could ask you the same question.”  
“Yes, I suppose you could. But you didn’t.”  
“I’m actually disappointed that you haven’t even noticed, but it’s been a tough week for me; you know, the girl I like ignoring me like I’ve got some kind of weird contagious and mortal disease.”  
“I… I’ve been busy?” she says, although it sounds more like a question; she’s aware that it is a lame excuse of an explanation.  
“Is isolating yourself in your room because you don’t have the guts to see me after what happened between us considered ‘being busy’?”  
“How dare you mock me, Garfield. You’ve been inside of my mind and you know about how difficult it is to handle my powers; how dare you judge me like that!”  
“I’m not judging, and you know it” he says, walking from side to side, looking like a predator stalking a prey. “You’re just afraid, because for the first time after who knows how long you’re finally feeling something new and real, and you don’t know what to do about that. I get it, Rae. But I’m done chasing after you and seeing all my efforts being met with barely no response, except for violence.”  
She doesn’t trust herself enough to respond to that, so she changes the subject. “Why can’t I feel you?”  
“Huh?”  
“Your emotions.”  
“I’m blocking you out” he says with a small smile, proud of himself. “Hope you don’t mind if I don’t want you wandering around my emotions whenever you find a moment of peace from being busy avoiding me.”  
The demoness stares at him with surprised eyes, her mouth open but no words coming out for two solid minutes. “You’ve truly grown up” she then affirms, watching him stand before her with his arms crossed.  
He smiles – and it’s a sad, resigned smile – and looks away from her. “I guess it would have happened, sooner or later.”  
“I hate this, Garfield. I hate you” she whispers, her eyes fixed on his figure. “It was so much simpler before, I could just hide myself behind my moody, introverted personality and dozens of meaningless insults; but then things got serious and… you’re right, I have absolutely no idea what to do about this.”  
“Things change, Raven” he says, a bittersweet meaning in his words as he locks eyes with her. “I’m not the same as I was when we first met, and the same goes for you. We’ve gone through Hell together – well, not literally, although we got close to the apocalypse – and we got to know each other like no one else ever had, and that’s something that allows to create a special bond. Look at Dick and Kori, look at what they have. Don’t you wish we, huh, you had that too?”  
“You don’t understand, Gar- “  
“Please answer my question.”  
“Don’t interrupt me, or I swear… “ she threatens, looking away from him.  
“You swear what? You’re gonna insult me? You’re gonna stop talking to me? You’re gonna hurt me? I honestly don’t know what horrible thing you can do to me that you haven’t already done.”  
“Stop this, Garfield.”  
“Tell me, Raven, what have I got to lose at this point? You’ve already denied me your camaraderie, your friendship, and now you’re here to take away your love after brutally shoving it in my face as a reminder of what I’ll never have. There’s nothing left for me to fear losing.”  
Raven looks at him with watery, vulnerable eyes. Beast Boy knows she’s not going to cry, not in front of him at least, because no matter the situation, she’s still Raven. But she looks like her world is suddenly falling apart, but he’s too absorbed in hiding the intense feelings of sadness and anger that he’s experiencing to care about that.  
After a few minutes, she finds her voice. It’s trembling, acute, a bit raspy. “I do.”  
“What?”  
“That’s the answer to the question. I do wish we had what Dick and Kori have, but I’ve been raised to not let myself be slave of my emotions and desires, to suppress them at any time; you need to understand that it’s not possible for me to undertake a relationship.”  
“You think this is only about you, but it’s not. A relationship is about two people who work together, not one. Do I really have to remind you that I have an uncontrollable Beast inside of me that comes out to kill and destroy every time I get mad? We’re in this together, Rae, and I never thought I’d have to repeat myself, but you’re not alone.”  
This time, she looks at him with hopeful eyes, full of awe and affection. He decides that it’s time to let his barriers down, and his emotions finally slip through. He studies her expression, probably waiting for the moment his feelings hit her.  
“Tell me, Rae, what am I feeling right now?” he asks, kneeling in front of her and putting his hands on her knees, forcing her to look directly in his curious, mischievous eyes.  
She blushes and takes a moment to recollect herself from the intensity of it all. “Frustration, anger, a deep, deep sadness” she begins after a long sigh, a feeling of guiltiness inside of herself. “Sorry about that… You’re also embarrassed, confused, afraid, and…”  
“C’mon Rae, just say it” he whispers, smiling to himself at the girl’s obvious blushing.  
“You’re feeling affection, lust, and love” she finishes in a soft voice, relishing the light touch of his rough hands on her knees.  
“I know you’re feeling those things too, Rae, I can read your body” he affirms as a matter of fact. “You’re radiating so much warmth that I’m afraid you’re going to auto combust, your heartbeat is going crazy, and your pupils are incredibly dilated. I also know that you’re desperately trying to keep your powers under control, which means that you’re trying to repress them. Why don’t you teleport us to a different dimension and let yourself have some fun?”  
“Gar, I just can’t.”  
“That’s not true. You’re the daughter of the most powerful demon that ever existed, and you stopped him from destroying the world as we know it; you can do anything you want.”  
“It’s going to be a long process, Gar, I don’t think you- “  
“I just want to be with you, Rae. I’m not saying that we need to have sex here and now, and although I wouldn’t be objected to that, I know you need to take your time because of your powers, and I’m going to give you all the time you need.”  
“You’re unbelievable” she mutters, a small smile on her face as she cups his face and kisses him, falling with her back on the bed and the boy on top of her.  
“Are we- “  
“No.”  
“I’m just going to kiss you, then. Can I at least touch your perfectly shaped ass?”  
Apparently, the response is a hit on the back of his head, but the big smile on her lips tells him otherwise.


End file.
